About Us

In the early days of fall 2023, new pals Nancy Lipkin Starr (formerly Sipera) and Cheryl Squadrito had a grand idea that they would organize empowerment events for women and give the proceeds to charity. A few months later, Nancy and Cheryl hosted the first “Strike It Strong” event, a self-defense class for women, which sold out and drew women – moms and daughter, aunts and nieces, grandmoms and granddaughters, friends and neighbors. The first event donated $1,600 to Center For Family Services.

They agreed they were onto something.

Nancy and Cheryl quickly realized that they could help more women if Strike It Strong became a nonprofit. Both women run successful businesses, but they made time to launch Strike It Strong because they wanted to help more women. Within a few months, Strike It Strong has an active board of volunteers and a roster of women-focused events on the horizon.

Nancy and Cheryl agree: when you get stronger on the outside, you feel stronger on the inside, so their non-profit is going to host self-defense classes in the community. The pair plan to expand their offerings to include other enrichment events for women.

Strike It Strike has started offering private self-defense classes to businesses across a gamut of fields like realtors and visiting nurses, as well as to colleges and universities.

The energy in the room full of women is palpable at our Strike It Strong events, Cheryl says. There’s a special magic when women come together for the common good.